Dum Pukht – International City

Dum Pukht is an affordable restaurant franchise specialising in Pakistani cuisine. I first visited Dum Pukht years before I became a blogger. Located in Karama, the original was an outlet I would drive by on my way to BurJuman. It’s still there although it has been thoroughly revamped. Later they opened a branch in JLT and now this one in the England Cluster of International City. Business must be good.

The interior of this new Dum Pukht is simple, which I like; the wall to wall mirrors making it seem bigger than it actually is. What’s more important is that it was clean, cool and smoke and smell free, unlike many similar restaurants. Even the hand-wash area and washroom were spotless, always a good sign.

I was pleasantly surprised by how good the food was. My food buddy, Arjun and I ordered Mutton Biryani (of course), Daal Makhani, Boneless Chicken Handi, Bhindi Masala and a couple of Naans. Biryaniwalla & Co. in Al Nahda has ruined biryani for me; theirs is so close to my version of perfect, I find it difficult being objective about other restaurants’ biryanis, this one included. In all fairness though, the mutton biryani at Dum Pukht was very good; the mutton cotton-tender, and Arjun and I finished all three pieces as well as every last freckled grain of fragrant rice. The rest of our meal was superb. I loved the bhindi, the daal and also the chicken handi, which came in a rich, reddish-brown sauce. The naan, shaped in the traditional round way, was delicious too.

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Service was friendly and infinitely accommodating. But it wasn’t fast. And that, in this case, is a good thing because it indicates everything was cooked fresh as opposed to being heated. Our waiter was a smiley young man with a kind face and a warm smile. He and the restaurant supervisor were busy bees buzzing from table to table, ours included – brilliant.

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Unlike my first non-Asian dining experience in International City last week which was something of a nightmare, my visit to Dum Pukht was an absolute pleasure. And the fact that it was so affordable made it all the better. Arjun’s perfect summery of our meal reminded me of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, he said the food was spicy but not too spicy – it was just right. Not only do I recommend you give this new branch a try, I myself will definitely be back for some more of their delicious food.

Hey! Now read this –
Xerxes physically dines at, or orders from, each and every venue he reviews. He pays in full for whatever he and his companions eat, drink, take away or occasionally throw at each other. Xerxes accepts no money, gifts, discounts or free meals in return for reviews or favouritism. What you have read was NOT influenced in any way by the venue. Join me on Instagram @ravenousxerxes or email me on xerxes@dellara.com.